


Isolation: An Overwhelming Force

by deebainwonderland



Series: Irondad Whumptober [5]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Isolation, Precious Peter Parker, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Whumptober 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-12-01 23:22:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20932625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deebainwonderland/pseuds/deebainwonderland
Summary: Tony hasn’t spoken to another human being in five days. This may or may not be a problem. It depends on who you ask.#whumptober #no.7 #isolation





	Isolation: An Overwhelming Force

Tony wouldn't call himself an isolationist. Sure, he sometimes disappeared into his lab by himself for days at a time and could count the people he truly loved on one hand but that didn’t mean that he was an isolationist. 

The Stark brain simply wasn’t one that operated like other peoples’. And Tony was fine with that. He wasn’t lonely. 

Or so he kept telling himself as he spun around and around on a stool in the middle of the deserted lab. 

Pepper was on a week-long business trip to China. Rhodey was doing some deep-cover shit that required him to be without communications for at least two weeks. Happy was in his hometown to celebrate his parent’s fiftieth wedding anniversary. 

Tony had been elbow deep in a new Iron Spider configuration when he suddenly realized that he had not spoken aloud to another human in five days. Pepper texted him every day but he hadn’t actually spoken to her. Now that he thought about it, Tony couldn’t even remember the last time he’d opened his mouth. He should probably eat something. 

Wandering up to the kitchen, Tony pulled his phone from his pocket and scrolled through his contacts. Jesus, did he really have so few numbers? Most business calls went directly to Pepper since everyone knew he likely wouldn’t respond anyway. 

Tony scrolled listlessly as he began pulling together lunch when he found his thumb hovering over Peter Parker’s name. These days, the kid came up to the Tower every other Friday to work with Tony in his lab. Peter even had a room to crash in when they both got so involved in the science that they looked up only to realize it was two in the morning. 

This was an off week. Peter probably had plans with his nerdy friend and wasn’t even thinking about the reclusive billionaire who he occasionally rubbed shoulders and built robots with. After all, aren’t kids supposed to rule the night on the weekend?

“Mr. Stark? Is something wrong?”

Scrapping peanut butter across a piece of bread, Tony rolled his eyes. “Shouldn’t you be in class kid?”

“It’s lunch, Mr. Stark.” 

“Right,” Tony said, looking down at his own sandwich.

There was a moment of silence before Peter hesitantly asked again, “Is something wrong?” 

“Nah kid,” Tony said, rustling around the cupboard for the jelly, “Just had a few new ideas for your suit. But you probably already have plans for tonight so….”

“I don’t have plans!” Peter said loudly, “I mean I was going to hang out with Ned, but he loves living vicariously through me when we’re in the lab.”

“Why doesn’t he just come along?” Tony asked, struggling with the jelly lid. It took him a moment to realize what he just said and nearly slapped himself in the face for inviting not one but two teenagers over to wreak havoc in his personal lab. 

“Really?” 

Tony had to pull the phone away from his ear as Peter screeched down it. Even from a distance, he could hear Peter calling, “Hey Ned! You’re never going to believe this!”

Despite himself, Tony had to laugh at the delight in the kid’s voice. God, he was going soft. 

After a moment Tony heard Peter’s soft voice coming through the receiver again and he quickly placed it back on his ear. “Are you sure that’s ok, Mr. Stark? We wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“Naw kid,” Tony replied, affection crawling up his throat, “I… could use the company.”

There was a telling moment of silence but then Peter’s bubbly voice was back. “No problem, Mr. Stark! We make for awesome company.”

“More like nerdy company.”

He was rewarded by another happy laugh. It seemed like Tony was spending more and more time trying to make Peter Parker laugh. “That’s the best kind! So Happy will come get us after school?”

“Happy is on vacation,” Tony replied, cutting his sandwich in half, “I’ll be there at 2:30.”

“Wow, ok, Mr. Stark, that’s awesome, thanks!” 

“No problem kiddo. See you soon.” 

Tony hung up the phone and was suddenly confronted in the vastness of the empty kitchen. He stood still, focusing on his breathing as he fought the panic that was beginning to blur his vision.

“Friday, what’s the time?”

“It’s 12:17 p.m. boss.”

In two hours and thirteen minutes he would be rolling up to a high school and two bumbling kids would be tripping into his car talking a mile and minute. He would have enough human interaction to last the next week. In fact, he’d have so much human interaction that he’d be begging them to take their crazy overactive teenage selves out of his personal space before the weekend was over. He’d be dying to build his personal forcefield and reinforce it for good measure.

Two hours and twelve minutes...

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a kudo and/or comment if you enjoyed! Much more to come.


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